efore morning we
must perish. I tried to say what prayers I had learnt by hearing my
sister say them; but my teeth chattered, and I could only think them.
At last I perceived a vessel at anchor: the tide was sweeping us past,--
we were close to her, and I contrived to cry out; but there was no
reply. Again I screamed, but it was in vain. They were all in their
warm beds, while we floated past, freezing to death. My hopes, which
had been raised, and which had occasioned my heart to resume its
beating, now sank down again, and I gave myself up in despair. I burst
into tears; and, before the tears had rolled half-way down my cheeks,
they had frozen hard. "I am indeed `Poor Jack' now," thought I; "I
shall never see my father or Virginia any more." As I thought so, I saw
another vessel ahead of us. I summoned all my strength, and called out
long before we floated past her. The light wind bore my voice down;
there was a man on deck, and he heard it; he walked forward, and I
perceived him looking over the bows. I hallooed again, to direct his
attention to where we were; for our wherry was so encrusted with ice
that she might have been taken for a larger piece floating by. I saw
him turn away, and heard him thump with a handspike on the deck. How my
heart bounded! I almost felt warm. As we were passing the vessel, I
cried out again and again, and the man answered me--

"Ay, ay, hold on for a minute or two, and I'll send for you."

"We are saved," I cried to the waterman; but he was quite insensible,
apparently frozen stiff where he was clinging. In a few minutes I heard
the sound of oars, and then they stopped; the boat came quietly
alongside, that they might not by the shock throw us off into the water;
they dragged us both in, and took us on board, poured a glass of brandy
down our throats, stripped off our frozen clothes, chafed our limbs, and
put us between the hot blankets which they had just left. As soon as I
was in bed the mate made me drink a tumbler of hot grog, and left me. I
soon fell into a deep sleep, long before they had ceased their attempts
to restore vitality to my companion, which at last they did. When I
awoke the next morning I was quite well, and the waterman was also
recovering, although not able to leave his hammock. The mate who had
had the watch and had saved us, told me that the wherry was safe on
board, and, as the ship was bound up the river, that we had better
remain where we we